Open road riders have big hearts

By Kathleen ScottSpecial to the Express-News :
August 7, 2011
: Updated: August 7, 2011 8:59am

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IF YOU GOWatering holes • Luckenbach General Store: Stop for a cold drink, and if your timing is right, catch live music. 412 Luckenbach Town Loop. LuckenbachTexas.com or 830-997-3224. • Shade Tree Saloon & Grill: Pull in under the skeleton at the entrance, play pool or chew the fat with other riders. 13530 U.S. 281 N., Spring Branch. 830-885-5550. • Bubba’s Big Deck: On the banks of the Guadalupe River, Bubba’s offers a good view on a hot day, live music on weekends. 1402 Gruene Road, New Braunfels. BubbasBigDeck.com or 830-627-8816. • Dally’s Down Under: Beer, wine, pub food and live music. Must be 21 or older. 9097 U.S. 290? E. Johnson City, 830-868-4200, DallysDownUnder.com. • Oasis Restaurant: Overlooking Lake Travis north of Austin, the views, live music and clientele make the Oasis more than just a restaurant. 6550 Comanche Trail, Austin. 512-266-2442, oasis-austin.com. Playtime Sixth Street in Austin is known for music, food and drink. The seven blocks between Congress Avenue and Interstate 35 are wall-to-wall entertainment with bars, eateries, live music venues and art galleries. The music scene crosses all genres. Stay over The Driskill Hotel, built in 1886, is a landmark on Brazos Street. For more about it and other hotels close to Austin’s Sixth Street, 6thStreetHotels.com or 888-892-3677.

Fire & Iron riders from New Braunfels look like all the other bikers at Bubba's Big Deck in Gruene, where they usually conclude their rides. They're sunburned and sweaty, wearing mirrored sunglasses, and patches on their vests attest to where they've been. They talk about their last great ride or the one they haven't done yet.

With more than 125 chapters across the country, Fire & Iron motorcycle clubs are made up of firefighers, law enforcement officials and paramedics. The groups, called stations, ride together, and they raise money for charity.

The stations hold monthly meetings and usually do a monthly ride.

Members are known by nicknames. “Eventually you'll do something and you'll be badged forever,” says Brandon “Braindead” Dempsey, road captain for the Marble Falls group. He's a third-generation rider who earned his nickname for the way he rode when he was a teen. He's been a paramedic for six years and rides with more care now.